What I usually do in the Yak-15 is maneuver my plane behind another plane and blast them! Then I look to see if there is another target close to me and then I blast them! I keep on blasting other planes until I'm dead and then I re-spawn and do it again. Does that help?

Seriously, best way to do this is flight up with another experienced pilot and learn as you go. Talking about tricks and maneuvers has its place but you will learn quicker actually flying in battle.

Hey, thanks for the input -the Yak has been deadly so far; if you can turn on someone, you win... The issue has been more of WHERE to leverage your strengths. You move pretty slowly from zone to zone, so choosing where to set up your spinny murder spree seems of greater importance than the individual fights themselves. For instance, I am starting to be of the mind that airfields matter a little bit more to this plane, and that maybe defending sites with a decent amount of high-alt AA can ameliorate a little bit of your altitude woes...

Or, finally - hugging my optimum altitude seems to be counterproductive - better to hang out in the mid-to-low of your range & encourage the enemy to sacrfice their stored energy to get to you.

Just looking for input along these lines of thinking... and, y’know, I like these discussions. Less on the how, more on the why (for every time I read a thread about how the devs are obviously sabotaging someone personally because they get ALL THE POINTS but also ALL THE LOSSES).

The issue really hasn’t been winning dogfights, but trying to situate myself in a way that the enemy has to dogfight me to capture the point.

Low alt is tricky once the enemy figures out all they have to do is stay above X meters and you'll have a tough time fighting them. When that happens to me I switch to a BnZ tactic by flying away and venturing into my high yellow arc of operations and pick fights with what I know will not be able to turn with me, even outside my standard flight envelope.

Usually with bots being what they are I just stay low in my white arc and stuff eventually comes down.

tl;dr-stay at your effective altitude unless you have to venture up then pick targets carefully.

Low hanging fruit is pretty much all you can get. Try to go up high and most likely you will pay for it. On the deck is the safest place for me since it limits the dive of the plane above if you maneuver directly below it. Never chase it up on the first or second pass as they probably have plenty of boost, just try to stay below it and usually on the third pass you can safely tuck in behind and keep on them enough to dispose of them. That process works for bots and impatient humans. Real players that know what they are doing, this just becomes a cat and mouse game with both players trading bullets between passes and it boils down to which person makes a mistake. Depending on the terrain the Yak has around it, on rare occasions, I think the Yak has a decent chance of taking out the high flyer, just depends on how evasive you can be and how soon you can get on the tail of the passing plane.

Hardly a dedicated high-tier TnB player, but did really enjoy all three high tier Yaks, with special love for the Yak-19. There's not a great answer that I found if the action in the match is primarily at 2500m and going 700+kph, it just isn't going to be a great game for the Yak. As others have said, pick off the fools who do come low and whittle away GAs with side on passes and even soft ground targets if you get desperate.

That having been said, those aren't every game. Especially when dealing with bots, you can manipulate their behavior to drag them down to your level, literally, especially if you're the first one into that cap. The AD LFs are rarely out of the Yaks' altitude range and you can dispense with them disturbingly quickly if your aim is on. On defense, 1500m-2000m is still a pretty safe band and it can be pretty fruitful. The trick is to avoid target fixation and follow someone up where you'll become like a floating balloon waiting to get popped. Can work out in reverse, pulling someone down, whirling and twirling and hope they don't just run out flat.

I tend to run aircraft polish on the 8-9-10 Yaks to get a little extra oomph; it's pretty rare to need the full turning rig with the ridiculous base turning stats. That combined with the 800m laser 23mm cannons and you can turn and shoot at some of the slower ZnB planes and at least collect some damage.

you oughtta see it sometime, it's a sight. A big plane like a '52. VRROOM! There's jet exhaust, fryin' chickens in the barnyard.

Forget about players that fly high alt and focus on mowing down bots and capture sectors. Even the highest alt performing bots are forced to come down when they attempt capture due to ADA refusing to play high.

...you don't get NR-23 laser cannons until T8 though (excluding the out-of-print Yak-3RD), so firepower may prove inadequate for the amount of guns you get (3 at most) in both power and range.

WoWP makes a great jousting game...especially with the 262 and people busy in furballs...
I am deaf, silent, and fly with unrealistic controls. Do not count on me to carry - my back's already broken from overweight.

The key to survival is keeping an eye on the map. As soon as you see a triangle headed your way, hit alt to see what kind of aircraft it is. If it's anything other than a bomber or GA, you need to start turning around to face it and coming up with a plan to beat them. Managing your cannon's overheating is also pretty important since it is your main damage dealer. You can't get fixated on one target either. As soon as you start getting hit by someone behind you, you need to break off and get out of the way.

LeastWeasel

You move pretty slowly from zone to zone, so choosing where to set up your spinny murder spree seems of greater importance than the individual fights themselves. For instance, I am starting to be of the mind that airfields matter a little bit more to this plane, and that maybe defending sites with a decent amount of high-alt AA can ameliorate a little bit of your altitude woes...

Yes, for Yaks and other lower altitude turnfighters, if you have a choice, going to an airfield/airstrip is the best choice. Garrisons would be next after that followed by Comm Centers. You want to stay away from the other caps unless they have a high number of enemy aircraft over them.

One tactic I like to use against Boom and zoom planes is the early turn. The idea is to start turning to go after them before they even pass you in a head on. It is tricky to time it right, but if you're starting to worry about the other guy hitting you, it's time to turn. That way, when they pass you, you are already on their tail instead of turning after they pass and not getting much of a shot in.